Author: Cathy Cunningham

For Those Who Have Far to Travel, by Jan Richardson If you could seethe journey whole,you might neverundertake it,might never darethe first stepthat propels youfrom the placeyou have knowntoward the placeYou know not. Call itone of the merciesof the road:that we see itonly by stagesas it openbefore us,as it comes intoour keeping,step bysingle step. There… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/16/23

Our Companions and Guides Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, the author of Kitchen Table Wisdom, said, “Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.” I think “pursuing unanswerable questions in good company,” is a good definition of pilgrimage! For Reflection If you look… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/15/23

Bethlehem, Not Jerusalem The Magi were on a journey to find a king. They went to Jerusalem since that was the expected place to find the King of the Jews. But the king they sought was not there. After what must have been a long, arduous journey to get to Jerusalem, they packed up and… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/14/23

A Cold Coming We Had of It The first stanza of the poem, The Journey of the Magi (by T.S. Eliot), imagines the hardship of the Magi’s journey. A cold coming we had of it,Just the worst time of the yearFor a journey, and such a long journey:The ways deep and the weather sharp,The very… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/13/23

Life is a Pilgrimage Fr. James Martin provides more insight on our pilgrimages: “But all of life is a pilgrimage. We journey alongside others, notice God along the way, and are graced with surprises, until we finally meet the One whom we long to see. God is with us in all our life’s travels and… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/12/23

Pilgrimage and Prayer Fr. James Martin offers this perspective on journeys: “A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for a spiritual purpose. Often it is to a holy site like Jerusalem, Rome, or Lourdes…But the journey itself is often illuminating: tired, removed from our daily routines, and surrounded by new friends, we are invited to move… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/11/23

We only know a little about the actual journey of the Magi, but it’s safe to assume that it was long and arduous. When they started their journey, they believed their destination was Jerusalem. But after arriving in Jerusalem and speaking with King Herod, it became clear that they had not yet arrived at their… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/10/23

Where The Map Begins, by Jan Richardson This is notany map you know.Forget longitude.Forget latitude.Do not thinkof distancesor of plottingthe most direct route.Astrolabe, sextant, compass:these will not help you here. This is the mapthat begins with a star.This is the chartthat starts with fire,with blazingwith an ancient lightthat has outlastedgenerations, empires,cultures, wars. Look starward once,then… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/9/23

Why A Star? Why is there a star in the Magi story? In Matthew’s time, the star would have had several layers of significance. Stars and other celestial phenomena were often associated with powerful, influential people. The symbolism of stars was used by Roman emperors to legitimize their claims to power, as well as to… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/8/23

There Weren’t Three Magi? Were you shocked when I stated that Matthew didn’t specify three Magi? I was astonished when I was doing research and first saw that claim. I had to go back and reread those Bible verses. A few times. The text says there were three gifts, but doesn’t specify how many Magi… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/7/23